A mystery abounded concerning the 1958 disappearance of Scott's uncle, Hal Clark. Scott turned to hypnotherapist Heather Donnelly, who put him through hypnosis and helped him remember that he had witnessed his uncle's death in the Capwell boathouse. Under hypnosis, Scott revealed that Pamela Conrad was the one who killed Hal. The mystery solved, Scott fell in love with Heather and moved in with her.

Scott's off-beat professional behavior and his romance with Heather caused problems with her father, Dr. Arthur Donnelly, the hospital's chief of staff. Scott's worst conflict with Arthur occurred when his cancer-stricken father, Ben, died during an operation performed by Arthur. Around the same time, Scott and Heather opened a medical clinic in Santa Barbara. Scott was jealous when Heather's former college chum, Dr. Zack Kelton, arrived in town.

As 1989 began, Scott and Heather became engaged. However, their romance hit a snag when Celeste DiNapoli, Scott's high school sweetheart, got a job at the clinic. Scott was forced to choose between Heather and Celeste, but felt torn. Realizing that he still loved Celeste, Scott ended his engagement to Heather. He then learned that Heather was pregnant and sued for joint custody of their unborn child. This battle lasted several months.

Scott and Celeste were happy for a while, but their relationship went bust when he learned about her past as a hooker. Soon after, Heather gave birth to Scott's child, a boy named Michael. Both Scott and Heather were thrilled with parenthood. Hoping for another chance with Heather, Scott followed her to Chicago when she had a job interview there. Although Heather didn't want anything to do with him, she did agree that Scott could be a part of their son's life.